Ashwin Names the Team That Dominated the Auction & Its Not CSK

The IPL auction has finally ended, and it seems that every team played well. But among them all, one team seems to have done a great job, according to Ravichandran Ashwin. Analysing the auction and the best buys, Ashwin applauds this team's decisions.

Each and every team for the IPL 2026 has now been finalised. And now, fans await for the new edition of the tournament, which will be taking place after the T20 World Cup 2026. In the auction, 29 overseas and 48 Indian players have been sold to the ten teams, making their way to the next season.

A whopping total of 128.05 crore rupees were spent on the overseas players and 87.40 crore rupees were spent on Indian players. With the auction being wrapped up, it is time to analyse which team did the best while being at the auction table. For this, Ravichandran Ashwin decided to take to his YouTube channel and give his personal opinion.

1. Ashwin Lauds This IPL Team

After the auction came to an end, Ashwin did a complete analysis of the same. Ever since his retirement from the IPL, he has been very much active on the social media platforms. Along with that, Ashwin is also looking forward to the domestic talents, which helped him to analyse the team's after the auction.

According to Ravichandran Ashwin, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had the best auction. He said, “RCB had a really fabulous auction in this IPL 2026. Massive credit to Andy Flower, this man again done it for RCB.”

He also said that this time RCB would be the close contender to win the IPL. And if the team is able to do it, they will be the third IPL team to win consecutive finals, joining Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to the list. This is all because RCB has a strong squad, whether it is the key players or backup players.

2. RCB Auction Picks

Here is the list of players which Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought in the auction and their prices:

• Venkatesh Iyer: 7 Crore INR
• Mangesh Yadav: 5.20 Crore INR
• Jacob Duffy: 2 Crore INR
• Jordan Cox: 75 Lakh INR
• Satwik Deswal: 30 Lakh INR
• Karthik Chouhan: 30 Lakh INR
• Vihaan Malhotra: 30 Lakh INR
• Vicky Ostwal: 30 Lakh INR

Since RCB had retained the majority of its key players, it was clear that the team needed some backups. Along with that, they also had slots for just two overseas players, which they decided to utilise well by getting two talents at much less price.

Venkatesh Iyer

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had its highest bidding done at Venkatesh Iyer. This is the same player which the team also targeted in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. But they failed to get him, with Kolkata Knight Riders getting back their player. Since he was released by KKR this time, RCB took the opportunity.

And eventually, they were able to win the bidding war against Kolkata Knight Riders. Now, Venkatesh Iyer has finally joined RCB, adding depth to its batting line-up. And it is also being said that he would be a great backup batsman in the top order.

Mangesh Yadav

Royal Challengers Bengaluru also got a left arm pacer, as Mangesh Yadav joined them for 5.20 crore. It was a bidding war between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but RCB won it in the end. They have got the MP T20 League bowler, who registered 3 four-wicket hauls in six innings. He has also been tremendous in his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Jacob Duffy

Another challenge which RCB faced in the last season was having an overseas bowler in their line-up. Although Josh Hazlewood was their primary bowler, he had been prone to injuries lately. This time, RCB has signed Jacob Duffy as a replacement for Hazlewood, if he gets injured.

It was known to be a steal deal by the team, as they bought him for the base price of 2 crore. At a time when all teams were saving their funds for later, it was a steal deal by RCB, to get him at such a low price. Along with that, it should be noted that Jacob Duffy stands at the 2nd spot in the ICC Men's T20I rankings.

Jordan Cox

RCB is also having a back-up wicket-keeper this time, and they got him at the base price of 75 Lakh rupees. And it is the English wicket-keeper, Jordan Cox. Coming in the top order, Cox was able to do well at number three and four, which had drawn attention from the RCB team. There are high chances that RCB had signed him as a replacement for Phil Salt, if he is unavailable for a few games.